Texas A&M Vs McGovern

[APloy]

Texas A&M (Prematched + Scholarship)
Pros

• 90% chance of being at the Dallas campus for clerkships (I'm from Dallas, so I would be closer to my family and save money on rent)
• Clerkships at the BUMC- Very good teaching hospital, being in the Baylor system is helpful for matching into a Baylor program for residency (at Temple and Dallas) as evident from the 2024 match lists, as a lot of A&M students have matched into Baylor.
• Being in Dallas allows me to stay in touch with the connections I have built when it comes to surgeons I have worked with as well as with research mentors.
• Solid match list
• Liked the location, campus (very modern), students, faculty, and overall environment a lot (A few deciding factors that cemented A&M over UTMB, RGV, etc.)
• Cheaper, especially with the scholarship

Cons

• Not 100% NBME exams I believe, correct me if I am mistaken, please.
• Since the class splits up after MS1 year, extracurriculars are often virtual or limited (But I did hear that the Dallas campus has the most out of the 4 locations)
• Ranked slightly lower and less "Prestigious"?

McGovern
Pros

• Located within the TMC- excellent opportunities to explore any specialty and great research opportunities (Ex. at MD Anderson)
• Solid match list as well (Marginally better for the specialties I am interested in)
• More "Prestigious," more established, and ranked higher. But how much does the name of your medical school really matter when applying for residencies versus the effort you put into research, extracurriculars, and your step 2 score?

Cons

• Graded pre-clinicals after first semester
• Would rather live in Dallas than Houston
• Although cost is not the biggest deciding factor for me, McG is more expensive overall.

Summary:
- I'm interested in a surgery specialty such as Orthopedic Surgery, OMS, or General Surgery.
- The 2024 match lists for both these schools are comparable in these specialties 13 (McG) Vs 10 (A&M) for general surgery and 7 (McG) Vs 6 (A&M) for orthopedics.
- With step 1 going P/F, the relative “prestige” of a school might be a distinguishing factor for some of the more competitive specialties. But I believe (could be wrong) that apart from UTSW and Baylor, the next 4-5 ranked schools give you around the same fair shot when applying for residency, and it just comes down to your step score, clinical grades, extracurriculars, and research, rather than necessarily the med school you went to.
- If staying in Dallas, I am open to being proactive and looking for things like research and away rotations, as I understand that the BUMC is not as loaded as the TMC when it comes to opportunities like this.

Overall:
- Would choosing A&M place me at a significant disadvantage when wanting to pursue a competitive surgical specialty? I would like to stay in Dallas where I believe there is everything I would need as a medical student and it is cheaper/more convenient for me, but not if this comes at the expense of putting me at a disadvantage when it comes to applying for residency.

Thank you in advance for your thoughts!

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[cbum]

You should rank A&M higher as both fit your goals but as you're from Dallas, you have a very high chance of being able to spend the latter 3 years of medical school at BUMC in Dallas - I have friends here who are very glad they chose the Dallas campus and I believe their only complaints have really been safety. A large percentage of A&M students end up here so I think the community is still there if you make an effort.

- disclosure: prematched at both mcgovern and a&m but ranking mcgovern higher b/c im from houston and don't want to do the A&M willowbrook houston option as it's a pretty small teaching hospital

 

[waterglass]

tamu and it's not even close. if you think youll be successful in dallas, then you should be there. besides, tamu and mcgovern are basically in the same tier. i think your reasons make sense and tamu is the clear winner. good luck and congrats.